Delilah Dirk - Between Adventures - J.D. Coughlan

Panel 1: Wide panel. Delilah stands proudly in a cafe which looks like a disaster area, the aftermath of a fight, tables and chairs lying all strewn about, window smashed. The cafe owner glares angrily at her, arms folded. In the background, Selim sweeps up some glass.

DELILAH: Obviously I apologise for the damage to your property. These things happen when your on the trail of a jewel thief.

Panel 2: Close up of the manager. Still glaring.

MANAGER: And just how do you plan to compensate for the damages? Does catching jewel thieves pay well?

Panel 3: Close on Delilah. She remains confident.

DELILAH: Only in satisfaction.

DELILAH: However, given that my companion and I have some downtime now...

Panel 4: Same shot. Delilah has a "what if?" expression on her face and in her body language, extending a hand. Selim stands behind her.

DELILAH: ...might I offer you my services in some kind of security capacity?

Panel 5: Close on the still angry manager.

MANAGER: You mean to prevent people from breaking my window?

Panel 6: On Delilah again. She is somehow even more confident, pointing a thumb over her shoulder at Selim, who rolls his eyes.

DELILAH: Did I mention that my friend makes a great cup of tea?

SELIM: sigh

END OF PAGE

Delilah Dirk – Bigger, Better, More Absurd – MK Stangeland Jr.

(2 Panels)

Panel 1: SPLASH PAGE.

The FLYING FRIGATE, a scaled-up and heavily militarized version of DELILAH’s flying ship, exits its construction/launch bay and its sails begin to spread.

DELILAH DIRK and ERDEMOGLU SELIM watch from their nearby, hidden location as the ship launches.

Panel 2: Small, corner panel, looking towards DELILAH and SELIM as they react. SELIM looks wide eyed with shock and surprise in a ‘look at the size of that thing that is FLYING!(!![!!!!!])’ kind of way. DELILAH looks irritated, though she’s far more passive in her own reaction.

SELIM: That…it…how…but…it…that…it…

DELILAH: I believe that I am starting to regret not stabbing Mr. Lunzwit when I had the chance.

(END PAGE)

Delilah Dirk - Decisions, Decisions - Grant McLaughlin

Panels 3 through 8 are single moments over the course of the same day.  Feel free to have the day's progress visible in the amount of light in the background of those panels.  Panels 1 and 2 are in the morning; panels 9 and 10 are the night of that same day.

1 - Delilah Dirk and Erdemoglu Selim sit around a camp fire, drinking some of Selim's delicious tea in the early morning.  Delilah wears a relaxed expression; Selim cocks an eyebrow inquisitively in response to her words.

DELILAH: I've come to a decision.

SELIM: Oh?

DELILAH: If we are to be traveling companions, I think it would be prudent for you to learn how to defend yourself in the event of a fight.

SELIM: We do seem to get up to an awful lot of those.

2 - Delilah is up and on her feet, offering a hand to help Selim up.

DELILAH: Exactly.  And while your delicious tea is most appreciated, it might not be enough when we're starring down fifty hostile swords.

SELIM: This is also true.

3 - Selim stands holding a sword.  It is still in its hilt.  Delilah looks disappointed in the background.

CAPTION: And so

DELILAH: No

4 - Selim, a look of panic on his face, swings the sword wildly at a nearby buzzing bee, missing every time.  Delilah looks on in a mixture of disappointment and frustration.

DELILAH: No

5 - Selim, looking confused, holds his jacket out, a big wide gash cut through it.

DELILAH (off-panel): No

6 - Delilah is crouched in front of a tree, a look of surprise on her face.  Above her, Selim's sword is embedded within the wood, as she has just managed to ducked under it.  Selim stands a few feet away, looking incredibly shocked and embarrassed.

DELILAH: No.

7 - Selim runs away from the bee from panel 5.  Delilah facepalms in the background.

DELILAH: No

8 - Selim and Delilah look up at the top of a tall tree, where the sword is impaled deep into the top of it.  They are both quite confused as to how this could have happened.

DELILAH: I don't even.

9 - The end of the long day.  Selim and Delilah are sitting around the same campfire as in panel 1 (although its flame is far more brilliant now that it is night).  Selim is tired and his clothing is scuffed up from the exertion.  Delilah is in similar circumstances.

DELILAH: I've come to a much better decision.

SELIM: Oh?

10 - Close-up of Delilah's hands holding that warm and steaming cup of tea.

DELILAH (off-panel): Delicious tea is more than enough.

SELIM (off-panel): Agreed.

Why Delilah Dirk?

There's a lot of great names in comics.  If you're reading this site, such a pronouncement is unlikely to take you by surprise.  This week, I'd like to use my selection to direct your attention to a creator and their creations who you may not yet be familiar with.

There's a charming and delightful Canadian comicker by the name of Tony Cliff who, if he isn't already, should be on your radar.  This past August he released Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant through First Second books, and let me tell you, that comic is one hell of a read.

I came across it almost by accident, stumbling across some preview pages while figuring out who to interview while covering New York Comic Con last year.  The art was absolutely gorgeous and I was instantly smitten.  I fired off a quick email to see if I could get in some words with Mr. Cliff and raced through the book in preparation.

Delilah Dirk is a terrific example of the strong female protagonist that so often seems to be lacking from mainstream comics.  She can hold her own in a fight, is never at a loss for a clever remark, and is completely without fear.  It also helps that she gets into all types of madcap adventures that recall a certain degree of Indiana Jones, but set in and around early 1800s Europe (or Africa, or North America, or...).

She also has a most delightful traveling companion in Erdemoglu Selim, the turkish lieutenant of that titular pair.  A brilliant tea maker, Delilah accidentally saves his life towards the beginning of the narrative, and while he isn't initially cut out for a life of adventure, he starts to grow into it (at least a little bit).

Crack!!

Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant was one of my absolute favourite graphic novels of last year.  It's an enchanting mixture of history, humour, and hijinx that has many of the visuals and sensibilities of the European bandes dessinées that I love much, while also following various North American stylings.

However, like so many of my Thought Balloons selections, what it all comes down to is that Delilah Dirk is fun.  So.  Much.  Fun.

I am ever so excited to know that a sequel is already in the works, but for the moment, I'm also rather excited to spend some time playing in that sandbox this week.  Should you be unfamiliar with Delilah Dirk, Selim, and company, the first half of Delilah Dirk and the Turkish Lieutenant is available to read free of charge at the Delilah Dirk website.

Feel free to give it a gander, and then don't hesitate to join in on the fun!